Following a two-day free flight in near-earth orbit Russian Progress M-52 cargo vehicle launched on February 28, 2005 from Baikonur cosmodrome docked to the International Space Station (ISS). The vehicle approached a free axial docking port of Service Module Zvezda. At 23:10:08 Moscow time the vehicle came into contact with the docking port. The vehicle rendezvous with the ISS Orbital Complex, fly-about and docking were performed in the automatic mode.
The Expedition crew 10 (ISS-10) consisting of Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov (flight engineer, Yu.A. Gagarin GCTC RGNII) and U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao (commander, NASA), who have been working aboard the station, monitored the implementation of the approach and docking processes. Progress M-52 delivered 262 kg of propellant to resupply the ISS propulsion system, 75 kg of oxygen, 34 kg of air, 312 kg of foodstuff, 420 kg of potable water, 78 kg of payloads for experiments, including the European Space Agency ENEIDE program. Equipment for different Orbital Complex systems and ATV integration, medical support aids and individual protection gear, flight data files and parcels for the crew were brought up to the Station. Three hundred and forty one kilograms of cargoes are intended for the ISS USOS.
The ISS-10 crewmembers are to unload the vehicle and accommodate the delivered cargoes on the Station, and transfer the wasted materials and equipment to the vehicle.
The ISS Orbital Complex of about 183.2 tons performs a near-orbit flight with the following parameters: maximum altitude of 376.7 km, minimum altitude of 355.2 km, period of revolution of 91.6 min.
The Russian Segment is made up of the Functional Cargo Module Zarya, Service Module Zvezda, docking module Pirs, transport vehicles Soyuz TMA-5 and Progress M-52. The US On-Orbit Segment is made up of modules Unity and Destiny, airlock Quest and multi-link truss structure with deployed solar arrays. The vehicles and Station modules onboard systems operate in a design mode.
The ISS flight is under control of the Lead Operational Control Team (LOCT) of the Mission Control Center in Moscow (MCC-M), Korolev, Moscow area in interaction with the US Mission Control Center in Houston (MCC-H). The Flight is directed by V.A. Soloviev, RSC Energia Deputy General Designer, pilot-cosmonaut.
Upon completion of the docking Flight Director V.A. Soloviev answered the questions put by journalists of the Russian and foreign information agencies and TV companies who were present at MCC-M.
